Dana Air Aircraft That Crashlanded At Port Harcourt Is 27.3yrs Old

SaharaReporters investigation has revealed that the Dana Air aircraft, which skidded off the runway earlier in the week was 27 years and 3 months as at the time of its crash.

The aircraft, an MD83 with the registration number 5N-SRI was manufactured in November 1990 and was among the oldest aircraft in the fleet of the airline.

The investigation indicated that the aircraft was previously used by Alaska Airlines in the United States under the registration number N947AS and was delivered to the airline on December 7, 1990.

However, the investigation further revealed that after 18 years of usage of the aircraft by Alaska Airlines, Dana Air acquired the aircraft from the American carrier on a permanent basis on August 4, 2008, when it commenced flight operations as an airline operator in Nigeria.

The aircraft would have clocked 10 years with Dana Air on August 4, 2008, if it had not crashlanded on Tuesday.

The youngest aircraft in the fleet of Dana Air is a 21 and half years aircraft, MD83 with the registration number: 5N-BKI, which was equally acquired from Afrijet, another Nigerian airline on October 5, 2014, with the same registration number.

History of the aircraft indicated that it was first delivered to U-Land Airline on September 25, 1996, by the manufacturer. The aircraft was however leased to Astro Air International in October 1997 under the registration number: B-88899.

After about nine months of usage, Astro Air International leased the aircraft to Air Philippines in July 1998, before Afrijet acquired it in January 2008.

Another old aircraft in the fleet of the airline is another MD 83 with the registration number: 5N-DEV. The aircraft is 26 and half years old.

Before Dana Air acquired the airplane on May 11, 2012, it was previously used by four airlines.

The first owner of the aircraft was Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA) and it was delivered to it on September 19, 1991, with the registration number EI-CCE.

Crashed Dana aircraft

The airline leased the aircraft to Avianca on March 11, 1992, with the same registration number, but the airline on March 16, 2010, changed the registration number to HK-4587, after eight years of usage and total acquisition from the former owner.

However, the aircraft was sold to Jet Midwest Group of the United States on July 6, 2011, under the registration number N934JM until Dana Air acquired it from the American airline on May 11, 2012, and changed the registration number to 5N-DEV.

Dana Air is now left with just two aircraft in its fleet from the former six at its peak period as one of its aircraft crashed in a Lagos suburb in 2012 killing all passengers on board.The Aircraft’s airframe as Alaska Airlines in the US